Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-06
MEN AND THINGS IN NEW YORK.
The Ways OF People as Observed by
Cumminxs and Hall.

The Ways OF People ~ Observed by
CumminGs and Hall.
TIE COURT srrSoaRApHsRs, THEIR WORK AND
,HKrR pAY-ExPERr frPBwRrrKRs AND THEIR
yAKSINGs-rHE sIAxEsE PRINCES AND THEIR
RKrIxUE-GuMoRE AND BARON sELLIERk
Special Correspondence of The EVENING STAR
NEW YORK, August 5.
There are more than 500 stenographers In New
York. and the number Ii yearly increasing. Most
of them ind employment as private secretaries In
omces at salaries ranging from SD TO $50 q week,
or as reporters In the numerous referees courts at
from 10 10 25 cents per 100 words or folio. Occa-
uionally an expert is hired at q stated salary by
Dome utigant who does not care to depend upon
the court stenograHhers for copies. Jacob sharp
employed during his long trial OF nearly forty
days two stenographers at s. an hour. The short
hand men employed In the great case followed the
comparatively deliberate speakers easily until
Col. Fellows made his summing up speech for the
prosecution. He is rapid talker, and 1t taxed
them TO the utmost to follow him. Then came
the address OF Bourke Cochran In behalf OF per-
manent stay for Sharp. He - one OF the most
rapid speakers at the bar, and, when he had
warmed 10 his work, he averaged 200 words
minute. There are probably not i've shorthand
men In New York who could have followed him,
and two OF them were at the trial During
pause In the orators address Mr.. Sharps stenog-
rapher, who was nearly overcome with fatigue
and the heat, created considerable merrlment In
court by asking Mr.. Cochran plain1iveiy row
much longer he proposed to speak. The steno-
graphic report OF this great trial has just been
written out II makes volume Of $500 pages,
Ia, 500 folios, or $50 600 words. stenographer
10 the New York courts gets 2 stated salary OF
&, 500 year, and he is allowed to charge for ex-
ira copies OF his reports This revenue swels MS
The shorthand writer who reported the trial or
Alderman McQuade was so Frustrated Win Ia
tigue at the end OF the case that he has not been
able TO work since.
WRITING OUT THE RECORD.
In great trial the record OF days proceedings
must be written out by the opening OF court the
next day. AS soon as court adJourns the stenog-
rapher hastens TO his ofice With his notes II
during the night, but he dictates part OF them to
anOt her stenographer, who writes them down In
shorthand and then dictates them 10 rapid type
writer. The court stenographer dictates the last
portion OF his report TO another typewriter, and
the weary monotone OF the stenographer's voice
and the sharp Click of the typewriting machine IL
heard until or O'Clock In the morning. when the
stenographer goes home TO get little rest to forti
q him for the next day. Men can stand thirty
i've days OF this work, as they did in the Sharp
trial, but II wears them out In the end.
Among the lawyers at The New York bar who are
the terror OF the shorthand men are Ira Shaer and
Jno Z. Burrir but even they have never eQualed
the record OF Judge Van Brunt, presiding Judge Of
the supreme court. The court stenographer timed
his honor one day while he was charging jury.
He spoke only seven minutes, but IL was at the
rute OF two hundred and seven words a minute
In ordinary conversation the average individual
utters about one hundred words q minute.
Some expert StenOgrapher are SLOW in reading
their notes. and such Of little use In reporting
court-nartial for as soon as each question Is put
the shorthand reporter OF the trial must read 1t
from his notes before the witness answers.
AN IMPORTANT MISTAKE.
It Is not strange that occasionally mistake on
the part of stenographer should occur. In 1869
the fate OF man convicted in New York Of muir
der hung upon the accuracy of the stenographer's
report. A question as TO the correctness OF the
report was raised and the shorthand writer refer
ring 10 his notes, found that he had in debating
taken by the defense TO question by the prOsecu-
ton. The record was the mere scratch OF pen, but
II pioved OF immense consequence in the subse-
Quent proceedings.
The limited amount of shorthand work on the
newspapers OF New York Is usually done by out
side men hired for special occasions. Some Of
them are veterans but unlike the average old
timer they do not talk about the good old days Tor
formerly IS a column was considered good price
for their work, while now they Will not undertake
an assignment for less than 25 cents per folio.
THE TYPEwRITERS
Closely associated with the StenOgrapherS In
their work is large army OF typewriters most of
them ladies. They have their offices, make good
incomes and live we'll. They have q uniform scale
OF cents per folio for one typewriter copy, 8
cents for two and 10 cents for three copies. Some
OF them average 40 words minute, or 35 foliOe
per hour. In q recent contest one OF them wrote
$50 long words In four minutes and thirty seconds,
and another in four minutes and forty-one Sec
Onds. They must frequently write far into the
night TO prepare copies needed the following day,
and their work, like that OF the stenographer, is
very tedious From three TO 1--WE years practice Is
required to attain the proficiency Of expert, but
when they have reached that point they can,
under favorable circumstances, make 81. 500 TO
$4,000 year. AMOS ]. CUMMINGS.